Inquiry Commission members to EP panel: Take concrete steps to support democracy, rule of law in Serbia

On November 1, 2024, a concrete canopy at the recently renovated Novi Sad train station collapsed, killing 16 people and severely injuring one.

At the discussion, members of the independent Commission of Inquiry for Establishing the Responsibility for the Collapse of the Novi Sad Train Station, comprising university professors, legal experts, and former judges of Serbia’s Supreme Court, presented their findings.

Marinkovic welcomed the measures taken by the European People’s Party (EPP) parliamentary group to distance itself from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

“And eventually to expel SNS from its membership,” Marinkovic added during the panel, where members of the Inquiry Commission spoke.

The professor urged the public prosecutor in Serbia to initiate proceedings before the Constitutional Court to ban the SNS.

“Everything we have said indicates that all grounds provided by the Constitution and law for such a ban have been met,” he explained.

Our main conclusion is that corruption kills, and in this case, we see negligence and disregard for expert opinions, said Judge Radmila Dragicevic Dicic, also a member of the Commission of Inquiry.

“Corruption kills because the corruption we identified in this case led to incompetence, a lack of accountability, the lowering of all construction standards, and the selection of companies that were neither competent nor experienced. Ultimately, with numerous unnecessary subcontractors, it all points to a pyramidal corruption structure from top to bottom. The primary goal was to siphon money from this project and launder it,” Dragicevic Dicic emphasized.

She also addressed the narrative that certain government representatives and pro-government media have started using, suggesting the canopy collapse was a terrorist attack. She described this as “yet another attempt to divert attention, via the media and state officials, from corruption towards this conspiracy theory.”

Our conclusion is that on this high-speed railway project to Kelebija alone, 700 million euros were stolen through corruption, highlighted Inquiry Commission member and Professor Ognjen Radonjic.

“The price of that corruption and incompetence was paid by the 16 people who died under the canopy and one person who was severely injured. Brutal repression was carried out against everyone, especially students, who sought a fair investigation. Citizens and students were arrested and beaten,” Radonjic pointed out.

He warned of another “corrupt and unsafe project currently being prepared in Serbia – EXPO 2027.”

“Participation in EXPO directly encourages corruption and jeopardizes the safety of all participants,” he said.

Inquiry Commission member Professor Vladimir Obradovic said that “a government that cannot ensure justice for its citizens cannot credibly claim to adhere to European values.”

“The families of the victims are still waiting for justice. A year has passed, there is no accountability and no justice,” he emphasized.

Obradovic stressed that Europe can no longer look away when a candidate country abandons European procedures and engages in dubious political agreements.

“It is not too late for Serbia to return to the European path, but it will require a lot of courage to speak the truth and to hold those in power accountable. I urge all of you members of the European Parliament to speak out about this truth to your citizens, governments, and media, and to support the people of Serbia in their fight for democracy, transparency, functional institutions, and justice,” he concluded.